Leyla McCalla today inaugurated her new freedom-focused series of singles with a powerful rendering of ‘Freedom is a Constant Struggle’. The 1960s Civil Rights-era a cappella, originally made famous by singer-activist Barbara Dane via a version she recorded alongside the Chamber Brothers, is revisited by an incredible McCalla-led all-woman choir featuring Joy Clark, Lilli Lewis, Sabine McCalla, Sula Spirit and Cassie Watson Francillon.

Talking about her forthcoming run of liberty-themed releases, McCalla says: “With so many of our fault lines agitated and further exposed by the pandemic, I find myself connecting more deeply with my emotional state in the context of the ways the capitalist system fails us. Music is a healing force – it helps us to know ourselves better and it helps us to take the temperature on where we stand. These are the songs that have served as a balm to my personal journey over the past few years as I’ve navigated heartbreak, outrage, grief and hope.”

Leyla McCalla’s most recent album, Breaking the Thermometer, was shortlisted among the nominees for this year’s Songlines Music Awards